


Too beautiful to be real

by azure_lemon



Series: Loki the Genie [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Genie/Djinn, Avengers Family, Genie Loki, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Shapeshifter Loki (Marvel), The Avengers Are Good Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26478124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azure_lemon/pseuds/azure_lemon
Summary: Loki is getting accustomed to his new life and Tony is getting accustomed to having the genie as the part of his life. Even if it means introducing Loki to certain people...
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark, Past Tony/Pepper
Series: Loki the Genie [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916968
Comments: 16
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SummerStarted](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStarted/gifts).



> Summer, I know this isn’t exactly what you asked about, rather mix of your suggestions and my own ideas, but maybe you can deem it close enough. Inspiration is a fickle thing and sometimes works in mysterious ways. I decided to keep the fic relatively lighthearted.  
> This chapter is Pepper-centric, Avengers are planned for the chapter two and Doctor Strange for the third part of this work. I still hope you’ll enjoy it.  
> You all commenting and kudosing can be proud of yourself, it was your support that inspired me to carry on with this verse. Except one multi-chaptered fic I have never received so many kudos for a work, especially not in such a short time. Thank you so much for such a wonderful welcoming in the fandom.  
> Thor is not an Avenger in this universe. Sorry, Thor lovers, not this time.  
> Also, since it’s AU the chronology might be slightly altered. The invasion of Chitauri happened, but Loki wasn’t responsible. However, who knows😅 It’s Loki after all…

The mission with Avengers goes surprisingly well. At least surprisingly for the fellow Avengers, because the Iron Man might have asked a being able to grant him luck to do so and the said being smiled indulgently, but did as asked.

Tony comes back home to see his genie boyfriend and finally get some rest after the whole afternoon spent battling the hordes of unknown origins.

‘’Loki, honey, I’m home,’’ he sing-songs, but he receives no answer. Not a big surprise, this tower is too big for the genie to hear him entering. ‘’What are these smells?’’ he asks Jarvis instead.

‘’Mr Loki is cooking something in the kitchen,’’ replies AI. ‘’He forbade me to tell you more, Mr Stark. It’s supposed to be a surprise.’’

‘’How nice of him,’’ murmurs Tony. Even though he and Loki had shared quite a lot good moments during past two months, namely since billionaire had freed the genie from having his magic bound and serving mortals, the long-haired beauty hadn’t exactly transformed into an epitome of goodness and gentleness.

The memory of the blazing row is still fresh in billionaire’s mind, the one when he and Loki were shouting and hurling insult at each other, even though neither of them remembered why they actually started arguing in the first place. All in all, it resulted in genie hiding in the bottle and staying there for days, until Tony was rubbing it’s golden walls over and over, begging for Loki to forgive him and come back. After the long time (at least it seemed like that to heartbroken billionaire) of being insensitive to Tony’s desperate pleas, the genie finally emerged from the bottle, looking smug like a cat who got the cream and allowed the usually proud human to apologize. As mortal enters the kitchen, the genie is indeed standing by the counter, wearing one of Tony’s many ACDC T-shirts, his hair loosely braided, spatula in his hand, fully engrossed in cooking.

‘’Hi,’’ greets him Tony, leaning over his boyfriend to give him a kiss on the cheek. ‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’Pancakes,’’ replies Loki shortly. ‘’They’ll be ready in the few minutes.’’

‘’It looks like I’ve got just in time,’’ chuckles mortal. ‘’I didn’t know you know how to cook.’’

‘’I’ve asked Jarvis for the recipe book,’’ explains genie. ‘’This looked simple enough.’’

‘’Loki, it looks and smells delicious. I’m the type to burn the kitchen down while even attempting to cook, so I’m double impressed.’’

‘’Please sit down and eat. Get comfy and I’ll serve them tonight.’’

‘’Who are you and what you’ve done with Loki?’’ Demands Tony, half-mind to call his Iron Man suit in case this imposter was to attack.

The genie rolls his eyes.

‘’Of course. Why I didn’t suspected this before? One time, one freaking time, I’m trying to be nice to you and this is the thanks I get? I should have known it’s not worth the effort. Mortals are so ungrateful beings.’’

Tony chuckles.

‘’Whoa, that’s Loki I love and adore. Sorry, I had to be sure.’’

‘’You’re paranoid, Anthony,’’ replies Loki, small smile on his lips.

‘’Forgive me, Fairy, but a few months ago I believed in science and science only and now I’m sharing the life and bed with a real genie and have I don’t have a personalized bottle to hide in.’’

The creature makes a mock-offended huff.

‘’I wasn’t hiding. I was merely driving my point using an enhanced persuasion technique.’’

‘’You’re so cruel to me,’’ complains Tony, sending his boyfriend his signature puppy eyes.

‘’Man up,’’ counters Loki mock-cruelly, serving the human another pancake.

Tony enjoys the a domestic bliss to the fullest, or at least how close it could get to the bliss with Loki. He has to admit that genie has lowered his guards and sometimes acts like he actually cares for billionaire’s love and affection. Tony slowly discovered that his initial suspicions were true and Loki deep inside, behind this confident, assertive mask is lonely, clingy being who has been love-deprived for too long and billionaire vowed to change that. On his better days Loki usually even agrees to grant Tony’s wishes and allows the human to cuddle him. On his worse he lashes out at the billionaire as if to make up for the times he was easier to deal with. Loki resembles a wild cat, which simultaneously loves being petted and caressed, but sometimes he can just go and sulk away without a good reason and never would be fully domesticated. Tony loves both versions of him.

He doesn’t intend to keep Loki secret. When it comes to his friends he wants to go a step further and tell them the truth. He and the genie discussed things and decided to tell the truth to Pepper and Avengers only.

Anyway, they have to come up with something to tell the world, as both of them are perfectly aware that telling the truth was the best way to be send to asylum. Probably Loki would manage to get them out of this situation by granting Tony the wish or two that would solve the imminent problems, but this meant being back to square one, which in their predicament equated producing something convincing enough for everybody not to suspect Loki is someone else than he claims, but vague enough not to get lost in details. The genie is catching up with what have omitted him while he was enjoying the solitude, but there’s too much to grasp it in the short time even for someone as bright as Loki. He and Jarvis are surprisingly good pals and Tony suspects they complain and gossip about him behind his back.

All in all, Loki chose to stay and despite their rather frequent fights and bickering he didn’t do anything indicating he’s going to leave his human, no matter how many colorful insults he comes up with every time he’s irritated, which is often.

Pepper is the first to find out. Neither of them foresaw her coming so soon, even though billionaire should have, judging by the way she just appeared from time to time, to scold him for not being careful enough while on mission and inform his about how the company was functioning. She just walks in like many times before only to almost bump into slightly startled genie, who thankfully looks perfectly human, especially once he followed mortal’s advice and exchanged his somewhat unusual outfit to something more casual in order to blend in more easily. Loki had been out a few times, accompanied by Tony every one of them, but they hadn’t decided yet to tell the whole world they’re together and were pretty happy with it. They had each other and no one else to disturb their peace and Loki has yet more to learn about the modern world.

‘’Hi, I’m looking for Tony,’’ she says after she comes across the genie. ‘’Mr Stark,’’ she adds to make herself clear. It is rather obvious she mistook Loki for one of billionaire’s on-night-stands.

‘’I know who is Tony,’’ he answers. ‘’I live here. Jarvis, could you please…?’’

‘’I’ve already notified him about Miss Potts arrival,’’ informs AI. ‘’He’s already on his way.’’

The said mortal indeed shows himself a second later.

‘’Hi, Pepper,’’ he yells while crossing the threshold. ‘’I see you two already met.’’

‘’Not really,’’ says the woman, her gaze shifting between two men present in the room.

‘’Okay, so let the introductions begin,’’ starts billionaire. ‘’This is Loki. He exists only to please me.’’

The genie lets out an annoyed huff and Pepper looks positively cross.

‘’Tony, this is not nice to tell such a things to another person.’’

‘’Good thing Loki is not a person than.’’

‘’Anthony!’’ she yells outraged. ‘’I haven’t expected it from you.’’

‘’But it’s true,’’ chimes in genie helpfully. ‘’I’m not human.’’

Pepper studies him with sympathy before turning to Stark, her tone and expression betraying suspicion and disappointment.

‘’Tony, is this a stupid prank or have you brainwashed him?’’

‘’No, Pep, it’s not like that, really. I mean, at first I didn’t believe him too, so I know it’s crazy.’’

‘’Tony…’’ she repeats menacingly. The genie watches with scene with badly concealed amusement. Billionaire raises his hands in the gesture of surrender.

‘’Pepper, you may want to sit down,’’ he suggests.

‘’Thank you, I’ll stand.’’

‘’Miss Potts, you might want to follow Mr Stark’s advice,’’ speaks up Jarvis.

‘’I’m good,’’ she answers in icily cold tone.

‘’Fine,’’ sighs mortal. ‘’Pepper, Loki here is the genie.’’

‘’I know it’s a lot of to take,’’ adds the said genie. ‘’Take a while, Miss Potts.’’

‘’You’re the whole lot nicer to her than to me when we first me,’’ mutters Tony scornfully. ‘‘How dare you.’’

The creature shrugs indifferently, though human can see mischievous sparks in his electric eyes, confirming the theory Loki is only so polite to their guest to get on his boyfriend’s nerves.

‘’Not funny, both of you,’’ says the businesswoman in the meantime, a look of baffled confusion of her face.

‘’It’s like with Anthony the first time. Really, humans?’’ asks reproachfully the genie.

‘’Loki, show her a trick,’’ demands Tony, knowing from experience there’s no other way for such a sensible woman to believe in magic.

‘’What I am, a monkey in the zoo?’’ Snaps the offended magical being.

‘’Lokes, don’t make it any more difficult than it already is. Pepper doesn’t deserve it.’’

‘’All right,’’ sighs genie ostentatiously.

Without a warning Loki waves his hand and in the flash Tony’s hair changes color to shocking pink. Pepper doesn’t manage to stifle the surprised yelp, except that standing motionlessly, pressing her hand to the mouth as genie conjures the mirror.

Superhero, on the other hand, doesn’t show any indication of being shocked or irritated.

‘’This is all you can do? Lame, Princess.’’

‘’Shall I throw you out of the window? You know I can do that,’’ threatens Loki.

‘’Jarvis, find a therapist for couples for those two,’’ asks Pepper weakly. ‘’And I thought one Tony is bad enough….’’

‘’I agree with my whole heart, Miss Potter,’’ replies Jarvis, apparently currently only even-tempered being in the Tower.

‘’Jarvis, you don’t even have a heart,’’ notices Stark.

‘’Of course not,’’ scoffs Loki mercilessly. ‘’He’s your creation after all. Like father, like AI.’’

‘’I don’t think it went that way, Princess,’’ mutters the billionaire. ‘’Where did we stop? Oh, yes, so Loki is the creature of magic, as you’ve just witnessed.’’

‘’For sure he is the creature of _fire_ ,’’ replies the blonde. ‘’It was a neat trick and you two obviously go like hand and glove, but trying to tell me magic is real is rather silly, even for you, Tony.’’

Genie rolls his eyes.

‘’Please don’t make me go through this again and again.’’

‘’Listen, Pep,’’ tries Tony. ‘’You’ve seen a lot of strange things recently.’’

‘’Neither of them were as strange as genie,’’ points out Pepper reasonably.

‘’My dear lady,’’ interrupts Loki, sending the guest a disarming smile, transforming into the epitome of good manners. ‘’Let me take you for w trip into my bottle. This shall resolve all your doubts.’’

‘’Tony?’’ Asks Pepper haltingly. ‘’What is he talking about?’’

‘’You know, he’s the genie. Genies live in bottles,’’ hurries billionaire with explanation. ‘’Now he’s free to move in and out, but back then he was confined to sit inside unless he was summoned.’’

‘’Are you two taking me for a fool?’’ The businesswoman asks dangerously.

‘’Loki, just do it.’’ Tony sends his boyfriend an exasperated glance. Even he knows better than to mess up with furious Pepper.

‘’It might feel a bit strange,’’ forewarns the genie and before the Stark knows it, both Pep and Loki are gone. He notices with slight amusement it should freak him out, but it doesn’t anymore. Even Jarvis is untypically silent, already used to Loki pulling such a stunts as well. Shrugging, the engineer walks downstairs. No use waiting for them. It might take a short while as well as long hours.

He actually gets engrossed in the work, because the moment Loki and Pepper just apparate into the middle of the room starts him. The magical being is dignified and unmoved as always, while she’s beaming and slightly disheveled.

‘’Loki took me inside the bottle and then to Haiti and then to Paris,’’ she cheers, while Loki radiates with self-satisfaction, sending mortal a smug glare from behind Pepper’s back.

‘’Good for you,’’ replies a bit sourly Tony. ‘’My boyfriend is having a lot of fun with my ex-girlfriend.’’

‘’Tony Stark is jealous?’’ Pepper shakes her head with mixture of disbelief and amusement. ‘’Magic be damned, this is the sign world is coming to the end.’’

‘’Do I have any reason to be jealous? Loki?’’ The billionaire asks expectedly.

‘’Anthony, at least wait with making me a scene till our guest leaves,’’ retorts the genie with straight face.

The woman starts to laugh uncontrollably.

‘’Tony, you lucked out with him. Finally somebody who won’t let you do what you want.’’

‘’Pepper, trust me, he’s the one doing what he wants here,’’ replies the billionaire, sighing heavily. ‘’I’m the responsible one here.’’

‘’I don’t believe you,’’ she counters.

‘’Me neither,’’ smirks the genie.

‘’Jarvis, which is the one responsible in this relationship?’’ calls the businesswoman.

‘’It’s hard to tell, Miss Potts,’’ replies Jarvis immediately. ‘’I’m trying to assume this myself and despite my highly advanced system this remains a mystery to me. There is one assessment I’ve managed to do. Mr Loki does what he wants.’’

‘’Finally,’’ interrupts the genie. ‘’I’ve been bent to humans’ will for too long.’’

‘’And now you’re bending me to my will,’’ remarks Tony.

‘’Turnabout is the fair play.’’

‘’How did you two actually met?’’ Asks intrigued Pepper. ‘’You know, you’re telling me this story from the wrong end.’’

‘’There is no good end,’’ replies superhero. ‘’Only one, big mess.’’

As the result, the mortal and the genie end up telling alternatingly the story of their first encounter and budding relationship to still startled blonde, who is doing her best to absorb the amount of craziness that happened while she was peacefully managing Stark Industries.

‘’Pepper, I believe you came here to talk about business,’’ finally utters Tony, bringing her back to present.

‘’Oh, yes, I did,’’ she blinks. ‘’Sorry, Tony, not every day you meet an actual genie. I’m still processing it. Tomorrow I’ll wake up and think ‘’Whoa, what a strange dream I’ve just had.’’ It’s bizarre, even for you.’’

‘’I’m not going anywhere if you want to check my reality,’’ offers Loki with courtesy.

‘’Pepper, I think it’ll be for the best if you give yourself time and come back to talk to me about the company after you’ll process with,’’ says calmly billionaire.

‘’Yes, that’s probably for the best,’’ she agrees meekly. Her knees are still surprisingly weak and she thought nothing can shock her anymore after what she’s already been though with Tony.

‘’It’s all right, Pep,’’ he adds reassuringly. ‘’Trust me, I know what you’re going through and this ruffian wasn’t as half as proper to me as he is to you.’’

‘’I treat you all accordingly to how you deserve it,’’ clarifies Loki.

‘’Thanks, Fairy,’’ winces Tony. ‘’I knew I can always count on your unconditional support.’’

The flabbergasted Pepper leaves without wasting another minute, deciding her prolonged stay may result in irreversible damages to her psyche.

‘’Think about you’ve just done to innocent mortal,’’ says Loki in the clearly condemning tone. ‘’I hope you at least have some regrets.’’

‘’I regret nothing,’’ grins Tony. ‘’She’ll come round. And you, Mr Innocent, were an active and willing participant in this.’’

‘’You’ve manipulated me. I’m the victim here. Kneel down and beg for forgiveness.’’

‘’Not a chance, Princess,’’ laughs human dismissively. ‘’I’m not falling for your blackmail with the bottle either.’’

‘’Try me,’’ challenges him genie boldly, eyeing the billionaire fearlessly.

‘’I’m the Iron Man,’’ notices Tony.

‘’I’m the creature of magic,’’ counters Loki.

‘’I’ve never thought magic can be so damn hot. Bedroom?’’

‘’Bedroom. You owe me this after today.’’

‘’Not a word more, Princess. We did it. We did it. It’s a chance to celebrate and shall the celebration begin.’’

This time Loki doesn’t protest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Avengers meet supernatural.  
> Luckily, I've managed to write this rather fast and not leave you hanging for weeks.  
> Confessions being made, I like personally this chapter better than previous one and yes, I like Steve and I think it shows here.  
> Loki wouldn't be Loki if he would play nice for too long.

‘’Steve, could you tell me what was so urgent you got us assembly here immediately?’’ Asks a clearly not amused Natasha.

‘’Me?’’ Repeats dumbfounded Captain.

‘’Yes, you,’’ confirms solemnly the Black Widow, looking at him in the way it is evident she expects an explanation and a rather good one, because she’s got zero tolerance for bullshit. ‘’I was busy, you know.’’

Their little team is standing in one of the numerous rooms of Stark Tower and Nat is the picture of the righteous fury. Despite their friendship and camaraderie, as well as the fact the blond rarely fears anything and definitely doesn’t back down, the last thing he wants to face is her ire. To make the matters worse, this time he doesn’t even know what to tell her, because he isn’t the one responsible for their little emergency meeting. Luckily, Bruce rescues him from this oppression.

‘’But Natasha, you were the one who visited me this morning demanding we all meet immediately here, cause there’s no time to waste and we’ve got something terribly important to discuss,’’ he says, looking as shocked and confused as the super-soldier feels.

‘’You’ve lost me here, guys,’’ chimes in Clint. ‘’It was Bruce who called me up telling _he_ needs to meet as fast as possible. He was terribly vogue about the details, but indicated it is a matter of life and death. Bruce, care to explain?’’

‘’Afraid not,’’ answers the scientist apologetically, as if this whole mess was indeed his fault. ‘’One thing I’m sure about, I definitely didn’t call you.’’

‘’Clint, I know this sounds crazy, but you were the one who notified me,’’ allows himself to add Steve. ‘’In person.’’

He understands even less than a few minutes ago, but at least he now knows he isn’t alone in this madness.

Everybody present in the room exchanges glances of uncertainty and confusion. The unspoken questions of _How the hell is this possible? What has just happened? Who tricked us and even more importantly, why? Is the world in danger and we were allured here not to intervene?_ hang in the air until finally Captain ventures to break the silence and ask about the other basic matter.

‘’Guys, where is Tony? We’ve got an Avenger missing.’’

‘’I don’t think he got lost in his own house,’’ snorts Clint.

Jarvis voice speaks up without a warning, making him flinch.

‘’Mr Stark has been informed about your arrival and shall join you shortly. I’m afraid, he’s currently rather busy.’’

‘’Is he all right?’’ Asks Natasha without a beat. ‘’Shall we help him?’’

‘’I’m afraid this is something Mr Stark has to deal with on his own, Miss Romanoff. His problems are of the more personal matter, though it might affect you all. I’ll leave it to him to explain details. Please, make yourself comfortable as the world is currently in no immediate danger.’’

All the Avengers stay silent, as they hear the unmistakable sound of Tony yelling and then another angry voice, calmer, but rather vicious.

‘’Stay here,’’ demands billionaire heatedly. ‘’And try not to cause more damage.’’

‘’Me?’’ answers the second person, undoubtedly male. Steve doesn’t judge, but still his backgrounds kicks in. He was born in nineties twenties, for crying out loud. Same sex relationships are still something he tries to get used to. However, being in one when it comes to Tony doesn’t even surprise him. The inventor is the man after whom you can’t expect anything for sure, maybe except the unexpected.

Natasha listens to this exchange of angry words with impassive glare, while both Clint and Bruce seem to be either startled or bothered. Probably both.

‘’Jarvis, does the thing about no immediate need to intervene still applies?’’ asks the blond soldier with doubt.

‘’I can assure you, Mr Rogers, if something were to change, I will notify you without a delay,’’ informs him AI with his untroubled voice. Steve envies him that lack of worries.

‘’Okay, Avengers. I hope Tony will tell us what’s going on in here, but any ideas for now? Because for me, what happened is pretty impossible, even for us. Phone calls, this I get, but visiting in person? I could have sworn I was talking to Clint this morning. Whatever it was, it looked like Clint, it talked like Clint, it even moved like Clint.’’

‘’And I could have sworn I talked to Nat,’’ adds Bruce, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. ‘’This is the new level of crazy.’’

‘’Yes, it is,’’ confirms Tony, walking in the room. ‘’Sorry to keep you waiting. I know I owe you all an explanation, though, before you say something, this time it wasn’t my fault. Don’t worry happy bunch, he played me too, sneaky little thing,’’ he says, trying to cheer up the confused team. “A true Trickster, trust me. Or don’t trust me, see for yourself. In a moment. We’ve decided after some negotiations it’ll be better if I talk to you first.’’

‘’I’m afraid we’ve heard you negotiating,’’ remarks the archer.

‘’Yeah, Loki can be quite loud when he wants so, but it’s better than his silent treatment.’’

‘’Who is Loki?’’ Inquires further Clint, even if he had already guessed the answer.

‘’My boyfriend,’’ replies Tony shortly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

This is the moment Steve decides to speak up.

‘’Tony, please don’t tell us you magically got us all here to tell us you’ve got a boyfriend.’’

‘’Cap, you’re so surprisingly close to the truth that I’m impressed. Indeed, magic is the answer,’’ grins at him the Iron Man. ‘’My dear team, there’s no way to ease what I’m going to tell you, but please be understanding and don’t do anything rush. And don’t tell anyone, for crying out loud. It’s the secret for a good reason.’’

‘’Look who’s speaking,’’ comments the red-head, eyeing the fellow Avenger suspiciously. ‘’It’s not like you have a history of being rush yourself or something.’’

‘’Tony, the longer this introduction lasts, the more I feel inclined to do something rash and impulsive,’’ says Bruce. ‘’You surely know how to build the tension.’’

‘’This wasn’t planned, Bug Guy. Sorry for keeping you in the dark. Okay, I’m saying this. Loki isn’t human. He’s the genie. Like, genie, the bottle, three wishes, yes, you’ve heard right, no, I didn’t go crazy and oh, did I mention Loki is the shapeshifter as well? You didn’t go crazy, hurray. You’ve been tricked by a genie. It sounds whole lot better, doesn’t it? Still not great, but better than the alternative.’’

‘’Tony,’’ says Steve in the gentlest and the most sympathetic tone he can muster. ‘’One more time and slowly, please.’’

‘’We’ve tried slowly with Pepper. Not the greatest outcome either,’’ answers the billionaire.

‘’Mr Stark, you refused to believe in Mr Loki’s words yourself despite the unquestionable evidence,’’ reminds Jarvis helpfully.

‘’Thank you, J,’’ replies Tony sourly. ‘’Why does this always happen to me?’’

‘’We would like to know that too, Tony,’’ says Clint with a half-smile. ‘’Are you the magnet for trouble?’’

‘’I wouldn’t be surprised if it was it, Arrow. Anyway, my reactor gone, this is also Loki’s doing. Now I can tell you, guys. You know, this is a relief.’’

‘’Tony,’’ starts the scientist carefully. ‘’Maybe it would be easier…’’

‘’If I start from the beginning?’’ Interrupts him the billionaire. ‘’Yes, you’re probably right.’’ He briefly summarizes the way he came across Loki, his initial doubts and him freeing the said genie. ‘’But he stayed and quickly be because boyfriends or something like that. End of the story.’’

The rest of heroes find themselves at the loss of words. Captain is the first to speak.

‘’Tony, you’ve got a magical creature with unimaginable power at your beck and call. Don’t you think we should consult anybody?’’

‘’Do you mean SHIELD? For crying out loud, Spangles, even you should know this is the worst idea ever. They can’t know. Except that, Loki isn’t exactly at my beck and call as you’ve probably noticed by now.’’

‘’That even worse,’’ speaks up silent until now Natasha.

‘’Listen, guys, I told you because you’re my family and I don’t want to lie to you, but Lokes is my family as well.’’

The fellow Avengers look at one another, unsure what to do.

‘’Do you trust him?’’ asks Bruce.

‘’I do,’’ answers billionaire without a beat.

‘’It’s okay,’’ finally agrees Steve. ‘’I’m no such a hypocrite, no after I’ve what I’ve done to get Bucky away from SHIELD clutches. We won’t breathe a word.’’

‘’I’m Hulk and you gave me a benefit of the doubt,’’ adds Banner. ‘’We owe Loki the same. He had done no evil, after all.’’

‘’I’m an ex-assassin,’’ says Natasha. ‘’And you gave me a second chance too. As Bruce said, who we are to judge.’’

‘’Clint?’’ Asks Tony in anticipation.

‘’I thought it’s obvious. How could I say no after everybody agreed? More, it was just a trick, even though I’d rather not be played like that in the future. It’s not like Loki killed somebody.’’ A beat of silence. ‘’Did he?’’

‘’Not to my knowledge,’’ assures Tony, his mind drifting fervently to how little he knows about his boyfriend.

‘’He came out of the bottle and you instantly took a liking to him,’’ jokes Nat. ‘’Why it doesn’t surprise us?’’

‘’Must be destiny,’’ hits back the engineer.

‘’Tony, you’ve mentioned shapeshifting,’’ reminds him Bruce, changing subtly the subject.

‘’Oh, yes,’’ reacts the billionaire instantly. ‘’I think it comes with being a genie. Truth be told, I find our very recently myself. Lokes has good reasons to be economical with telling humans things, but I’ve told him you’re all okay guys, so I assume he trusts you, even if judging by what he had done today. You can ask him about shapeshifting, because I think it’s the high time to ask him to join us. Guys, he didn’t tell me about this little, mischievous plan. This is why we had such a heated argument when you all arrived. I mean, we’ve talked earlier about telling you, but today he just acted on his own.’’

‘’We wouldn’t want to scare your genie, Tony,’’ says softly super-soldier.

‘’Oh, he’s not scared, more like distrustful,’’ assures the engineer, but for some reason it makes Steve only sadder for the genie.

‘’I assume people weren’t exactly considerate to him?’’ He asks, even though it’s pointless. He already knows the answer.

‘’To put it mildly, yes, and what I know is probably the tip of iceberg. Anyway, Jarvis, ask Loki to join us?’’

‘’With pleasure, Mr Stark.’’

The immortal arrives almost immediately, not saying the word, holding his head high.

‘’Hi, Lokes,’’ greets him his boyfriend amiably. ‘’So good to have you finally with us.’’

‘’Now you’ve suddenly decided to play nice, Anthony?’’ Asks Loki with obvious pretense in his voice.

‘’Lolo, you usually have a one chance to make a good first impression and you wasted yours _twice,_ ’’ points out Tony. ‘’Must be a record.’’

‘’Tony, we put up with you,’’ half-smiles Natasha. ‘’He puts up with you. If you ask me, it’s good enough to make a decent first impression.’’

A tinge of amusement flashes through genie’s pale face.

‘’You probably already know who we are, but for formalities sake, I’m Steve, this guy in glasses in Bruce, here’s Clint and this is Natasha,’’ introduces everybody Captain, feeling obliged to do it as the leader.

‘’You’re the dutiful one, Captain,’’ answers the genie. ‘’I’m Loki, but you probably know it by now as well.’’

‘’You’ve played us well, Loki,’’ says the archer. ‘’Quite a commotion you managed to make. I don’t know if I should be pissed or congratulate you.’’

‘’He wants to say he’s fine, but won’t appreciate the do-over,’’ translates Tony helpfully.

‘’I can understand that without you, thanks, Anthony,’’ replies the magical creature slightly off-handily.

‘’I just want to make sure…’’

‘’I am sure.’’

‘’Are you absolutely convinced you’re sure?’’

‘’If I say I’m sure, I’m sure.’’

The Avengers watch with banter with a growing amusement.

‘’Anthony, are you dumber than a daphnia? I can’t believe I’ve fallen for an idiot.’’

‘’Maybe if you take an average from your combined IQs it would be normal,’’ chimes in Natasha with a slight grin.

‘’Anthony, I like her,’’ says Loki, sending her an approving glance. ‘’I’m amazed that Tony manages to have such an intelligent friend.’’

Steve turns to the wall, trying not to smile. It was a lost cause, though.

‘’You’ve just admitted you’ve fallen for me, Princess,’’ triumphs billionaire.

‘’I’ve admitted it before,’’ shots back genie.

‘’Not in front of the witnesses.’’

‘’And your friend has found a perfectly reasonable explanation. Thank you, Natasha, I started to worry something is malfunctioning in my head. The accounts of other genie being freed are unknown to me, so I don’t even know whether some side effects are to be expected.’’

‘’Like a prolonged sulking?’’ Banner risks cracking a joke.

‘’Nah, he was like that since the beginning,’’ says Tony. ‘’Since he popped out of the bottle.’’

Loki doesn’t find it hilarious.

‘’Let me remind you, mortal, you’re the one who summoned me.’’

‘’By accident,’’ defends himself engineer.

‘’Well, now at least I have an opportunity to ask your teammates whether you do things by accident often.’’

‘’Tony is the Avengers’ virtue embodiment,’’ assures Steve, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

‘’I appreciate your loyalty towards a shield brother, but don’t insult my intelligence. I’ve got to know Tony enough and even if I haven’t, you’re a terrible liar.’’

‘’I’ll take this as a compliment,’’ replies the super-solider. ‘’Loki, there’s a thing. Are you okay with us asking you a few questions. You know, not every day you meet an actual, real genie?’’

‘’Shoot,’’ answers the brunette shortly.

First one is Clint, who wanted to find out more about the three-questions-thing. Loki explains him that briefly, ending with a remark his magic is finally free and he grants the wishes he chooses to the people who actually deserve it.

‘’You grant my wishes sometimes, it means I’m worthy,’’ beams Tony.

‘’Let’s say I’ve got a soft spot for you, barbarian,’’ admits Loki.

Banner smiles kindly at the magical creature, which for some reason prefers to keep his distance from him. Maybe it’s the reasonable wariness of the Other Guy, maybe something else, hard to tell.

‘’Loki, could you be so kind and tell me whether shapeshifting is natural feature of the genie?’’ Asks Bruce politely.

‘’Actually, it’s my own,’’ answers the immortal immediately, though studying the scientist carefully.

‘’Would you mind….?’’

The assessment must be positive for Bruce, because Loki interrupts him and takes the lead.

‘’Explaining more? No, but I’m afraid I’m not much of the help. I was just created that way. I had this feature since I was a little genie. I can do it when I wish so, while other genies can only change form if that’s a summoner will.’’

‘’Tough life,’’ mutters Captain.

‘’Couldn’t agree with you more,’’ says Loki. ‘’Now I know why Tony is so critical about you. You’re an emphatic one and he’s a stranger to higher feelings.’’

‘’Hey,’’ yells an offended billionaire. ‘’I’m not and you know it.’’

‘’Just ruffling your feathers, love,’’ ripostes the genie, surprising the rest of the people in the room with such an open display of affection.

‘’Maybe I’ll forgive you,’’ says Stark menacingly. ‘’Maybe….’’

‘’We both know you can’t live without me,’’ counters Loki.

‘’Sure, having a genie around is rather handy,’’ agrees Tony.

The festival of questions and answers carries on for the while until eventually Captain asks about the most important matter.

‘’Loki, are you sure you want to remain in hiding? Because for me you look like a great candidate for an honorary Avenger.’’

‘’Cap, I’ve felt tempted to ask him for a half dozen of times to grant us no threats, no enemies, a peaceful world, but it would be dead boring,’’ chimes in Tony.

‘’I’m rather surprised nobody before asked a genie for a word without violence and injustice,’’ comments Bruce.

‘’They were all too busy to wish for their personal gain to see the bigger picture,’’ explains Loki bitterly.

‘’Loki?’’ Steve glances expectedly at the magical being. ‘’Can you do that?’’

The genie analysis that for a while silently.

‘’I guess the gains outweigh the possible problems. It’s not against the genie rules. I don’t think they apply to me anyway now, but there were established for a reason. I’ll be magically drained and exhausted, but it’s possible. Go for it.’’ Seeing Steve doesn’t get the last sentence, Loki paraphrases. ‘’You have to say it.’’

‘’Loki, I wish for a world without wars, injustice and evil,’’ speaks up Tony before Steve has the time to embrace the concept.

The immortal closes his eyes and starts breathing heavily, leaning over the wall, while Tony looks at him with such a concern his fellow Avengers didn’t even know he was capable of.

Loki opens his eyes suddenly, still terribly pale, his slender form shuddering slightly as he manages to utter a one word.

‘’Done.’’

‘’Lolo, are you all right?’’ Inquires the engineer.

‘’Mostly,’’ chokes up the creature. ‘’Don’t ask me about something that big again. Now, I’ll just apparate and rest. Goodbye.’’

The Avengers flinch when the genie just vanishes into the thin air.

‘’I know,’’ explains Tony, the only unmoved member of the team. ‘’You need to get used to it. I almost had a heart attack a few first times when he did that. Now, I’m sorry guys, but I need to go too. I have one weakened genie who urgently requires my tender and loving care.’’

Without waiting for the response, he leaves the room, leaving the remaining Avengers nearly as dumbfounded as the moment they met that morning.

‘’Are we retired?’’ Clint is first to ask, confusion heavy both in his voice and expression.

‘’It looks like that,’’ replies Steve, not less unsure.

‘’Strange feeling,’’ says Natasha.

‘’Tell me about it,’’ agrees Bruce.

‘’Okay,’’ says Captain slowly. ‘’Who’s for the drink? Apparently, we’ve got a very good reason to celebrate.’’

Everybody is more than willing.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki gets woken up by a soft peck to his lips. He lazily opens his eyes to see his disheveled boyfriend next to him, smiling.

‘’Hi, gorgeous,’’ purrs Tony softly. ‘’It’s the broad daylight and you’re still sleeping. Rise and shine.’’

‘’Anthony, if there’s a broad daylight, why are you lying here with me in your sleeping attire?’’ Asks the genie sneakily, smacking billionaire’s arm lightly.

‘’Sleeping attire,’’ chuckles the engineer. ‘’You’ve got your way with words, Lolo. And I’m laying here with you, because you’re an excellent pillow and it would be such a pity to let your talent waste. If you’d ever get tired with wished, consider this carrier choice. Loki, free hugs.’’

The immortal laughs softly.

‘’I’d love to spend the whole day enjoying your services, but now, however, I need to get up. I’ve got a work to do.’’

‘’A work?’’ Loki raises his brow. ‘’I thought I made the huge part of your activities disappear.’’

‘’I still have a company, you know, even if Pepper takes care of the majority of things nowadays. Now, I’m going to the kitchen and I’m asking you nicely to join me.’’

‘’Of course,’’ snickers the genie. ‘’And you deemed it a good idea to wake me up because you’re feeling lonely?’’

‘’Yes?’’ half-asks, half-answers the billionaire.

‘’You’re insufferable,’’ sulks the immortal. ‘’And I’m here, weakened, in dire need of regeneration because of your wish.’’

‘’Hey, nobody forced you to grant me that,’’ defends himself Tony. ‘’This time I wasn’t even selfish, you have to admit that. Besides, I have to say, this retirement is boring. Just as I’ve suspected.’’

‘’Do you want to unwish it?’’ Asks Loki sneakily.

‘’Hell no,’’ reacts the inventor quickly. ‘’Of course not, Lolo. Besides, Captain Tight Pants might have my head if I do something like that.’’

‘’I can protect you,’’ offers genie generously.

‘’Do you think you can take a refugee into your bottle?’’ Inquires Tony, climbing out of bed, laughing and Loki, more restraint, resorts to smiling broadly. Since Avengers asked for his input in making the word the better place, he needs time and rest to regain his previous shape. Even though he normally doesn’t require sleep or food, he enjoys both of these activities as, for one thing they are highly enjoyable and secondly, they help him to recover. This makes him especially clingy to Tony, who definitely isn’t going to complain when the genie joins him on the couch or cuddles him. It’s almost perfect life, even if it feels strange never to be the Iron Man, to wear that suit again. Despite the tragic backstory, Tony regrets nothing in that regard. Maybe if he had more time to get used to the thought of letting that go, it would be easier, but the decision was made on the spot. Still, the price he pays for granting others safety and wellbeing is ridiculous low, so he doesn’t want to be ungrateful or selfish. Loki will be right as rain rather soon, so the mortal doesn’t have any reason to claim he had lost something significant.

‘’You’ll always be the Iron Man, Tony,’’ told him Steve the other day. Maybe he was right, as these words are source of comfort every time he needs it.

Despite the great part of injustice and conflicts being eradicated thanks to Avenger’s and Loki’s combined actions (mostly Loki’s), not all of them could be eliminated fully and Tony is soon is find out about that the hard way.

And all he wanted was to be a good boyfriend.

Apparently it is true that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, except in this very situation this is the road to having to deal with a half-pissed and half-insecure genie. Not the ideal combination, rather very far from it.

Funnily enough, he isn’t exactly thrilled about this encounter, but he keeps repeating himself he’s doing it for his beloved own source of magic.

It turns out said source is even less thrilled.

The life must be too good for Tony, because he starts to have weird ideas. He finds out about a man dabbling with magic, so after ensuring he is discreet and trustworthy, he jumps at the chance and pays him a visit. He catches the odd vibes from the guy, but he’s an eccentric himself so he finally assesses the sorcerer indeed reliable enough to tell him about his genie boyfriend.

Stephen Strange studies his visitor with unreadable expression (apparently genies were novelty even to him and he needs a while to decide whether Stark pulls him leg or no), but in the end he agrees to see Loki with what is probably his equivalent of enthusiasm. Not that it looks like that, but billionaire was forewarned the guy’s not the most demonstrative one.

Convinced the worst part is behind him, Tony graciously invites Doctor to his not-really-humble abode and introduces him to genie with pride.

‘’Loki, this is Stephen Strange. He’s the magical being too.’’

‘’Thank you, Tony, though I prefer Doctor Strange,’’ corrects him the guest. From his vacant expression the inventor assumes he expected Loki to look more exotic.

‘’Hello?’’ says the immortal questioningly. He’s sprawled on the couch in front of the TV, remote in his hand, bowl of popcorn lying next to him, head resting on the cushion, unsure why his peace is being disturbed.

‘’Lokes, Doctor here is the magical being too,’’ explains engineer.

This makes him interested enough to immediately pull himself to the sitting position. He assesses the visitor for a few seconds only to show his blatant displeasure.

‘’Magical being? Magical being?’’ Repeats appalled genie. ‘’He’s human.’’

‘’I’m advanced in magic,’’ replies Stephen calmly, wondering in what kind of situation he has gotten himself into.

‘’Really?’’ Loki’s voice is dripping with sarcasm.

‘’I fact, I’ve worked hard to become who I am now and you were just created like that. Nothing to be proud of,’’ hits back the Doctor.

‘’Anthony, this man insulted me,’’ cries out hurt immortal accusingly.

Billionaire runs his hand through his face, wondering what force in the universe made him think bringing these two together was a good idea.

‘’Besides, we agreed not to tell anybody except Pepper and Avengers,’’ adds Loki in the same betrayed tone. This doesn’t bode well and these two has just met. Being the most responsible person in the room isn’t familiar to Tony, but apparently there is a first time for everything. Pepper would have a field day when he tells her about that. Maybe she would say something about turnabout being the fair play.

‘’Lolo, Doctor here is an ally,’’ he tries to placate the highly suspicious and upset genie. ‘’He won’t breathe the word about your, ehm, true nature.’’

‘’Because he might try to utilize my power and to keep them for himself,’’ points of Loki.

‘’Than stop giving him ideas,’’ says exasperated engineer.

‘’I can assure you, I have no intention of doing such a thing,’’ quickly promises the former physician. Genie’s eyes clearly convey the message. _I don’t believe in the word of what you say._ Tony curses his own stupidity. Why on Earth did he assume these two would suddenly become bosom buddies? Neat Stark, neat, so bright of you, genius. Loki is right, you’re an idiot.

‘’So you claim to be adept in magic,’’ says the genie, scorn obvious in his tone. ‘’Do you think you can compete with me? I’m made of it.’’

‘’I’m used to being the best and I have no intention to step down only because you have more luck than skills to be created of it.’’

In fact Stephen is jealous about it with every fiber of his body, because that’s the union with magic he would never be able to reach, but can’t let have Loki get the satisfaction.

Tony, in the same time, wonders whether being a stuck-up prick is something all the magic users have in common. He may be quick to make assumptions, but everything indicates so. Lolo and Doctor remind him about two males in the group trying to assert dominance over one other. He just dares to hope they won’t actually duel. The prices for covering the damages would be hell to pay, but this isn’t exactly his main concern, merely an inconvenience, as he’s filthy rich, after all. His major problem would be explaining all this to the folks repairing his Tower. Or maybe he would manage to convince Loki to fix with mess with a snap of the fingers, unless the immortal won’t go into another of his prolonged petulant moods, which doesn’t seem unlikely given the circumstances.

‘’Is he always so bad-tempered and mouthy?’’ Asks Doctor in the meantime, looking at Tony pointedly, speaking purposely above Loki’s head. The genie tilts his head expectedly and in the flash the engineer has two pairs of eyes fixed firmly on him. Great, he didn’t sign up for this. Why does it feel as if he was the teacher in the primary school or kindergarten? He virtually can hear that voice in his head.

_Mr Stark, he pushed me!_

_Mr Stark, I did, but he started it!_

He shakes his head to chase this thought away. ‘’It happens,’’ he says simply, shrugging. ‘’Listen, I can’t believe I’m the one saying it, but you’re both big boys. Act like ones.’’

‘’I always assumed genies are benevolent beings,’’ speaks again Strange.

‘’You assumed wrong,’’ hisses Loki back and Tony instantly knows his plea fell on deaf ears.

‘’You had to grant humans three wishes,’’ reminds the genie Stephen.

‘’And hated every minute of this,’’ snaps back the magical being, once more resembling the engineer the big, wild cat. A black panther, maybe. He’s damn hot like that, but this is another thought he pushes aside for now. Luckily, he will have enough time to have fun with Loki afterwards.

‘’Bad for you, than,’’ replies Doctor without a trace of sympathy. ‘’It’s your fault. No wonder you did, if you insisted on being like that.’’

Something dangerous starts to show in Loki emerald eyes.

‘’Like what?’’ He asks slowly, in low voice, circling sinisterly the human.

‘’Irritable, surly, rude,’’ informs him unmoved Stephen. ‘’Are all the genies like that?’’

‘’No,’’ growls Loki. ‘’Some of them are cheerful idots.’’

‘’Why something tells me they are easier to interact with?’’

‘’Rarely a human even tried to be civil to me.’’

‘’Why this doesn’t surprise me? You’re really hard to be nice to. You’re really hard to even try. This is the wonder Tony put up with you for so long.’’

The genie looks like a panther in the eve of jumping on the opponent. Jumping to kill, to be exact. The billionaire isn’t going to wait and check how skilled in magic Stephen is and is he skilled enough to defend himself and attack back, even though it might have been quite the show, but Loki is too precious to be hurt, even by accident. Moreover, if something happens to their guest, it would be hell of explaining in the media and Tony isn’t fond of that thought. He got rather fed up with all those journalist asking questions over and over, shouting through one another. A night with genie is undoubtedly a better option.

‘’Loki,’’ he yells desperately. ‘’Don’t.’’

‘’What ‘’don’t’’?’’ Asks the immortal, narrowing his beautiful, electric eyes. They are the waves of pure, undulated raw power radiating from him, but the human is not afraid. Not about himself, anyway.

‘’Whatever you were going to do, don’t,’’ he asks. ‘’Lolo, don’t.’’

‘’Why not?’’ Demands the genie, still furious, but at least maybe the inventor can succeed in placating him. Stephen’s sensitivity be damned, he’s not without the fault here too. He had riled up Loki after all.

‘’He’s not worth it,’’ replies Tony firmly.

Loki’s fury suddenly quiets.

‘’He’s not?’’ He asks for confirmation, his eyes getting wide, for a short second looking like the child.

‘’He’s not,’’ repeats the billionaire. ‘’I think it’s time to leave us, Doctor. I know this isn’t the way you expected it to be.’’

‘’No, it isn’t,’’ winced Strange. Tony can see he has took and offence, which is perfectly understandable in these circumstances, but the engineer doesn’t care. Loki is and always will be his number one.

‘’I see I’ve ruined your date,’’ says the genie after the moment of silence, which occurred after the guest’s departure. He doesn’t even seem cross, more like resigned.

‘’My date?’’ Repeats shell-shocked human, not believing his own ears.

‘’Yeah,’’ confirms Loki. ‘’Isn’t my magic good enough for you?’’ The genie looks absolutely sorrowful as he carries on. ‘’Is this why I’m being replaced with this mortal? You were the first human I put my trust into, you were the one who insisted on me staying with you, are you bored with me already? Have the novelty worn off? Or maybe I have served my purpose and you have no longer use for me?’’

Tony rubs his temples.

‘’Princess, hold your horses. First thing, you’re not being replaced.’’

‘’Than why did invite this mortal?’’ Demands Loki, striding back and forth across the room.

‘’Loki, I don’t even like the guy. I’ve got him here because I’ve thought you’d be happy about having another magic user around.’’

‘’He’s an imposter,’’ says outraged genie. ‘’Wait, did you say you don’t like him?’’

‘’Yes. I mean, he’s bearable, but just look at him. I’m too egocentric to have another egocentric in my life. For crying out loud, Lolo, you don’t have any reason to be jealous.’’

‘’Good. Anthony Stark, how could you let me think otherwise for so long?’’

‘’It wasn’t long.’’

‘’Too long for me.’’

‘’Lolo, calm down, before you start to produce electricity, because I can basically see sparks around you. Princess, you do what you want, I do what you want, you’re awesome you basically saved the word single-handed, you did more in ten minutes than the bunch of superheroes managed to in decades, I adore the ground you’re walking on and you’re telling me that I gave you a reason to be jealous?’’

‘’Of course you did. How could you be so blind not to see it?’’

Tony groans.

‘’Fairy, remind me to never, ever try to be nice to you.’’

‘’This wasn’t nice,’’ replies grumpily Loki.

‘’Than remind me to never surprise you like that,’’ corrects himself the mortal.

‘’That’s better. Let’s stick to Pep, Avengers and people who don’t think they know a thing about magic,’’ proposes genie. Tony agrees with his whole heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The part two is complete. Now I've got more more one-shot closing this series to write and call it a day. Thank you for all the signs of appreciations left behind. All comments will be treasured.


End file.
